1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article having interlocking edges and its use as a covering product, particularly useful for covering flat surfaces such as floors, and most useful in preparing a flooring product that is easy to install, easy to remove, and easy to repair.
2. Discussion of the Background
In recent years the use of laminate products in the flooring industry as a replacement or substitute for traditional wood plank flooring has grown tremendously due to the durability and ease of care of the laminate products. However, the laminate flooring products currently available often have several disadvantages.
Many conventional laminate floor products have xe2x80x9ctongue and groovexe2x80x9d edges that are machined to fit one into the other. However, the conventional method for preparing such edges provides an interference fit that is glued together, particularly in xe2x80x9cfloating floorxe2x80x9d systems. In the interference fit type of edge, any glue that is placed in the cutout portion of the edge must be forced out upon insertion of the corresponding edge on an adjacent piece of laminate. Gluing floor panels together is time consuming and messy; any glue that seeps out onto the floor surface must be cleaned up by the installer. Due to the tight fit, the fitting together of the laminate pieces also typically requires pressure and clamps to hold the pieces together until the glue in the seams dries. Naturally, the floor cannot be walked on until the glue dries and the clamps are removed.
Additionally when the pieces are joined, and the glue is forced out of the cutout edge, there is no way to control the direction in which the glue will exit. It can exit either in an upwards direction towards the visible surface of the flooring, causing a mess, or in a downwards direction to the surface adjacent the subflooring. Either case may be detrimental to both the appearance and function of the resulting floor.
Additionally, for direct gluedown applications glue is placed on the bottom surface of the flooring section to adhere it to the subfloor. Once the glue sets, the resulting floor can be extremely difficult or impossible to repair or replace. Additionally, due to expansion and/or contraction within individual sections of laminate flooring, the resulting floor can undergo various stresses causing distortions, buckling, etc., thus rendering the floor aesthetically unsightly.
Also, some prior art methods of attaching adjoining flooring panels require that channels of significant size be machined into the underside of the flooring panels. Such a prior art method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,267 by Pervan. This prior art method requires that the channels be machined into the underside of the panels a considerable distance from the panel edges, and configured so as to accept a separate piece that is connected to each panel to provide a means for attachment of adjacent panels. These channels weaken the panels, increase manufacturing cost, and result in more opportunity for panel warpage under the influence of moisture.
A new means of attaching individual flooring panels, particularly in the laminate flooring arena, is needed to overcome these disadvantages.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a new surface covering product that is easy to install, can be installed without glue if desired, is easy to repair and/or replace, and may be used as soon as it is installed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new surface covering product having an edge design that can be assembled and disassembled in a simple manner without tools or glue.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface covering product that has a substantially hydrophobic interior to provide a watertight seam between sections.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a laminate flooring prepared from the surface covering product of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface covering product that can be used as flooring, wall covering, ceilings and on curved surfaces.
Disclosed is a rectilinear surfacing article comprising substantially planar surfaces. The article has at least one first interlocking edge having a first profile and at least one second interlocking edge having a second profile, the second profile being complementary to the first profile. The first profile includes a male member located between two female members, and the second profile includes a female member located between two male members.
Each of the articles may be joined to a second adjacent article of like construction by causing a first interlocking edge and a second interlocking edge of two adjacent articles to approach one another at an angle xcex1, wherein xcex1 represents an angle formed by the planar surfaces of the two articles. Next, the complementary profiles of the articles are engaged. Finally, the planar surfaces of the two articles are caused to become coplanar to form a substantially gapless seam between the adjacent articles. The articles thereafter cannot be separated by a tensile force applied in the plane of the articles and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the seam without breaking at least one of the interlocking edges. The articles may be joined and unjoined a plurality of times without functional deterioration of the first and second interlocking edges.
The rectilinear floor surfacing article may be installed over a flexible pad, whereby the seam effectively forms a flexible joint such that when weight is applied to the seam the articles rotate slightly about the joint as the seam is slightly depressed into the flexible pad. The flexible joint is constructed so as to prevent any damage from occurring to the first and second interlocking edges as a result of the rotation of the articles under the applied weight.
The above mentioned male member of the first profile may be configured to project outwardly from the first interlocking edge and upwardly toward the plane of the upper surface of the articles. The first profile may further include a concavity on the first interlocking edge located between the upper surface and a proximal end of the male member of the first profile. The second profile may further include an upper male member on the second interlocking edge located between the upper surface and the female member of the second profile. The upper male member of the second interlocking edge may have a convex distal end. Engagement of these complementary profiles forms a rotatable joint wherein the convex distal end of the upper male member of the second interlocking edge is seated into the concavity of the first interlocking edge, the rotatable joint being amenable to rotation about the seam when under pressure from above.
Also disclosed is an interlocking end profile configuration, which includes one first interlocking end having a first end profile, one second interlocking end having a second end profile, the second end profile being substantially complementary to the first end profile. The first end profile includes a male member located between two female members, and the second end profile includes a female member located between two male members. The first end profile includes a notched surface on the first male member which faces upwardly and outwardly. The second end profile includes a notched surface on the second upper male member which faces downwardly and outwardly.
The first interlocking end of a first article may be engaged with the second interlocking end of a third article of like construction by sliding a first article along the longitudinal axis of a previously engaged interlocked edge seam, engaging the complementary end profiles of the articles, and snapping the complementary end profiles together to form a substantially gapless end seam.
The planar surfaces of the articles may be formed by laminating a surfacing material onto a central core. The central core may be made of a material selected from the group consisting of fiberboard, solid polymeric materials, and foamed polymeric materials. The central core may also be made of a hydrophobic polymer, or a foamed polyvinyl chloride, polyacrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene (ABS), polyamide, or high impact polystyrene (HIPS). The foamed polymeric material has a density reduction of from 0 to 50%. The upper decorative planar surface may be high pressure decorative laminate, polymeric surfacing material, wood veneer, or any other decorative surfacing material.